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Council candidates: 9 Fridays, 9 questions
The political free-for-all of election years usually blasts out of the chute right after Labor Day. This year is no different.
Beginning this week, Food for Thought: A News Cafe will ask one question a week of the eight Redding City Council candidates.
Answers will be posted word-for-word on Fridays, and will be limited to 200 words. Nine Fridays, nine questions. We invite readers to offer suggestions, and of course, to chime in with comments.
QUESTION 1
What is the single most important issue facing Redding in the next two to four years, and how will you educate yourself about it?
Email answers to kellyb.anewscafe@gmail.com.
Also this week, City Council candidates will strut their stuff Wednesday and Thursday on radio station KQMS-AM 1400, from 8-9 a.m. The hour usually belongs to talk-show host Ken Murray, a council incumbent running to keep his seat, but Steve Gibson will take over to host interviews of four candidates each day.
“Being not a complete idiot,” Ken Murray says, “I will do the show alone on the 5th, giving me the opportunity to correct any trouble my mouth got me into during the interviews.”
He’ll relinquish the show for the rest of the campaign to avoid an unfair airtime advantage over the seven other candidates. He said the radio station hasn’t decided how to replace the hour but has indicated he’s welcome back after the election.
Running for the two open seats are Missy McArthur, Dick Dickerson, James McDilda, Russell Hunt, Ken Murray, Gary Cadd, Terry Oxley and John Wood.
437 views
Is the City really going ahead with those palm trees?(I cannot believe it!) What is your opinion?
Thanks, pmarshall. I’ll put it on the list of possibilities.
Some question about short and long term goals for the city.
How about their views about and plans for Downtown Redevelopment?
What can and should be done about retirement packages for public servants to make those packages equitable, justifiable, and sustainable?
What city services should/would be the first on the chopping block assuming sale tax revenues stay deflated for the next year or two?
Dear Viewers, It’s past time I chimed in on the palm tree thingy scheduled for Hilltop Dr. Come on folks, just live with a tree that is deciduous, that doesn’t need the deafening leaf-blower treatment, one that will last 50 years or more barring a hurricane on Hilltop Dr. A once a year trim and see ya next year; saving money/time for Redding Parks Dept. Palm trees adorn the Embarcadero in San Francisco and give the city even more class, especially during the holidays when they light them up. Can’t you envision this on Hilltop Dr., finally a look that tourists will remember. Sure birds nest in them, but don’t they do that in all trees. And for those LA/Orange Co. transplants that don’t want to be reminded of them, you can always find Mt Shasta in the distance and just go ohmmm.
Kelly,
Given the current focus on fiscal responsibility, this is an important issue that Dave and I think should be addressed in your forum for Redding City Council candidates:
City of Redding employees can retire after 30 years of service at 81% to 90% of their highest rate of pay. In the private sector, under Social Security, employees receive much less upon retirement. Given this disparity, how do you justify paying 100% of the City employee’s annual pension cost, whereas in the private sector the employee pays for 1/2 the cost and the employer pays the other 1/2? How would you rectify this inequity?
Thank you for the opportunity to participate.
Andrea
Kelly…A good question for candidates would be, “Don’t you think a new cop shop should be shelved for now, because of the uncertainty of today’s economy. If urgent at this time, what’s wrong with buying an existing
property, such as the one proposed near Shasta Regional?”